Joshua Sends Spies to Jericho Joshua 2:1-24

Transcription

1 Session 11 Joshua Sends Spies to Jericho Joshua 2:1-24 Worship Theme: Our faithfulness honors God. Weaving Faith Into Life: Children will show their faithfulness to God as they worship and honor the Lord. Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Praise God! (up to 25 minutes) Sing Faith (Hebrews 11:1) (track 1) Wherever You Go (Joshua 1:9) (track 3) My God Is (track 7) Praise Him (track 19) Trust and Obey (track 8) To God Be the Glory (track 18) Love the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) (track 16) KidsOwn Worship Kit: Songs From FaithWeaver CD player, clear container, rocks, sand, water, blanket Preschool Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Learn the Point! (up to 25 minutes) * Faithful Actions Practice showing faithfulness to God by serving others. Faithful Rahab Make reversible puppets, and dramatize the Bible story. I Spy Faithfulness Be affirmed for ways they are faithful. Cleaning supplies, snack supplies (see activity), hand wipes Bible; knife; markers; 1 plastic foam cup, 1 craft stick, and 6 inches red yarn per child Paper plate, craft stick, tape, scissors 136 KidsOwn Worship Fall Quarter

2 Elementary Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Learn the Point! (up to 25 minutes) * Human Tic-Tac-Toe Look for faithful actions in their lives as they play Tic-Tac-Toe. * Lasting Faithfulness Discuss faithfulness, and pledge lasting faithfulness. Our Wall in the Hall of Faith Discuss faithfulness in the Bible story, and add their names to a wall of faith. Masking tape, paper, pen, hat KidsOwn Worship Kit: Ink Pad Poster board, marker, hand wipes KidsOwn Worship Kit: Songs From FaithWeaver: Faith (Hebrews 11:1) (track 1) Bible, newsprint, markers, tape, CD player Session Sequence What Children Will Do Supplies Let s Pray! (up to 10 minutes) The Offering Offer their gifts to God. Pantomime Praise Praise God in pantomime. Object Prayers Use common objects to pray for God s help in being faithful. Offering bowls KidsOwn Worship Kit: Songs From FaithWeaver: Trust and Obey (track 8) CD player Various household objects (see Easy Prep) * Starred activities can be used successfully with preschool and elementary children together. Customize your session to fit your needs. You can separate preschoolers and elementary children for Section 2. Or, if you keep the children all together for the entire worship session, we suggest you choose from the starred activities. Session 11 KidsOwn Worship 137

3 Bible Background for Leaders Joshua Sends Spies to Jericho Joshua 2:1-24 As Joshua prepared to send spies into the Promised Land, no doubt he remembered the fiasco of 40 years earlier when Moses sent a large group of spies into the land. This time Joshua sent only two and gave them a very specific mission: Investigate Jericho. He sent them secretly, not wanting the Canaanites to know what they were doing and probably also to protect the Israelites from the distressful result of the first spy mission. It may seem suspicious that the first place the spies went was to the home of a prostitute. However, it s likely that this was a place where gossip would abound. In addition, the word most often translated prostitute can just as accurately be translated innkeeper. Either way, it was a place where the spies were able to hear and gauge how the people of Jericho felt about the Israelites who were camped just across the Jordan River. Rahab, though she lied about hiding the spies in her house, had apparently become a believer in God through what she had heard about the Israelites experiences and conquests. She hid the men at great personal risk. She was commended for her strong faith in Hebrews 11:31. Note that God did not commend her for lying, but for acting in faith and hiding the spies. God blessed her for that faith. The end of this story lies beyond the scope of today s passage. During the victory over Jericho, Rahab and her family were indeed spared from death (Joshua 6:17). Moreover, the New Testament attests to her faithfulness and includes her in the line of King David and of Jesus (Matthew 1:5)! Devotion for Leaders A relationship with Jesus can give us confidence that miraculous things will happen. Remember, the Lord of the universe wants to guide and direct your life! Weaving Faith Into Your Life: Where would you be without Jesus in your life? Take a few moments to jot down the answer to that question. What miracles has God performed to bring you to the place where you are today? How did those miracles come about? What people were involved? What were the circumstances? Did you realize a miracle was taking place at the time? Rest in the truth that you have the same opportunities to be used in God s miracles in the lives of others. 138 KidsOwn Worship Fall Quarter

4 Why We Worship for Leaders God is faithful in all that he does. He is always trustworthy, always loyal, always loving. God never fails us. As his children, God calls us to be like him. Though that s an impossible task for us, God sent his Son, Jesus, to make it possible. He s here to help us in our weakest moments, love us when we fail, and encourage us to try again. He gives us opportunities in everyday life to be faithful in the little things, so that he can trust us with the big things. As the psalmist wrote, To the faithful you show yourself faithful (Psalm 18:25a). Let s honor God with our faithfulness today because he is eternally faithful. That s why we worship! Easy Prep for Leaders Let s Praise God! Set out a large clear container, enough fist-size rocks to fill the container, enough sand in a bowl or bucket to fill the container around the rocks, and a pitcher of water. Drape a blanket or tablecloth over a table, and hide the demonstration items underneath the table. For additional worship songs each week, check out the Sing & Praise DVD included with your KidsOwn Worship kit! Human Tic-Tac-Toe Use masking tape to make two Tic-Tac-Toe grids, with nine squares each, on the floor. Write the words home, school, and church on small pieces of paper, one word per paper. You ll need several papers for each word. Fold the papers in half, and put them in a hat or basket. Lasting Faithfulness Fold a large poster board in half, like a greeting card. Draw a large heart inside the card, and write GOD inside the heart. Our Wall in the Hall of Faith Tape a large piece of newsprint on a wall. Set markers on the floor below the newsprint. Object Prayers Collect common household items such as a book, a pen or pencil, a pillow, a toothbrush, a photograph, and a Bible. Be sure to include items that both genders would use. Preschool Activities Refer to the preschool pages for preparations. Let s Praise God! Play Songs From FaithWeaver, Fall 2015 as children arrive. Designate greeters to welcome children at the entrance to the room. Have the greeters shake hands with the children and greet each one by name. When everyone has arrived, have children sit down. Hello, everyone! Welcome! We re here to worship God today because he is good and loves us very much. Session 11 KidsOwn Worship 139

5 If you could create a perfect person to be your friend, what would that person be like? (Always listening; ready to help me when I need it; that person would always want to be with me.) Worship Leader Tip Let preschoolers add the rocks, sand, and water during your demonstration. They ll feel privileged to give you a hand, and it s a great way to include young children in this worship session! 140 KidsOwn Worship Fall Quarter If you knew that friend would always want to be with you and would never lie or be mean to you, would you want to be around that person a lot? Why? (That kind of person would be a lot of fun; we d be best friends.) I have good news for you! God has given us that perfect person and that person is in this room right now it s Jesus! He s here to be a perfect friend and Savior to us. Do you ever wish you could see Jesus and talk to him in person? We all wish for that. But until heaven, we have to walk by faith. Jesus said, For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. That means here and now! Let s sing about having faith. Sing Faith (Hebrews 11:1). Lyrics are in the back of this book. God will never leave you or fail you. That means God is faithful. When we trust God, we re being faithful, too. Our faithfulness honors God. Maybe there are hard things going on in your life right now. Maybe you re wondering if God is really there or if he really cares about you. When you choose to be faithful anyway, you honor God. As we sing our next song, ask God to help you be faithful to him. Sing Wherever You Go (Joshua 1:9). Lyrics are in the back of this book. Set the empty, clear container and the fist-size rocks on the table. Tell me some ways God shows his faithfulness to us. Add a rock to the container for each thing children mention until it s full. Is this container full? (Yes, you can t get anything else in there; no, you can fit more around the sides.) It looks full to me! But there are still more ways God is faithful and good to us. Pour sand over the rocks, and shake it down into the spaces between the rocks as you mention more ways God is faithful. Is the container full now? (Yes, you can t get anything else in there; no, you can still put water in.) Track 1 Track 3 It certainly looks full. But it still isn t! God s faithfulness goes on and on. Mention a few more ways God shows his faithfulness while you pour water into the container until it s full to the brim. What does this demonstration say to us about God? (God is more faithful than we can expect; God fills us with his love and power.) God is more faith-full than we realize! He s always bigger and better than we think. Let s be faithful to a God like that! Our faithfulness honors God. Let s worship him by singing My God Is.

6 Sing My God Is. Lyrics are in the back of this book. We re here to honor and praise God. When you worship and praise him, no matter how you re feeling, you are being faithful to God. What are some other ways you show faithfulness? (By showing God s love to others; by following God no matter what; by obeying God.) When you love others, or believe in God even when things don t go your way, or do your homework or chores when you haven t been told, you re being faithful. Our faithfulness honors God. One way we can be faithful to God is by praising him. As we sing, let s choose to be faithful to God. Sing Praise Him. Lyrics are in the back of this book. Track 7 Track 19 Another way we show God our faithfulness is by obeying him. Faithfulness means doing the right thing no matter how you feel. When have you obeyed God even though you didn t want to? Explain. (When I obey my parents, even if I don t want to, I m obeying God; when I tell someone about him, even if it makes me nervous, I m obeying God.) What good things happened because you obeyed God? (My friend started coming to church; my parents let me have an extra scoop of ice cream when I helped clean up after supper.) Let s ask God to help us be faithful as we sing Trust and Obey. Sing Trust and Obey. Lyrics are in the back of this book. Every week when you come to children s church, you are being faithful. We meet at church so we can worship God for who he is and what he has done for us. Let s thank God for his faithfulness with our next song. Sing To God Be the Glory. Lyrics are in the back of this book. Track 8 Track 18 The best way to honor God with our faithfulness is to make him number one in our lives. We need to make sure that no person or thing is higher or more important than God in our lives. That kind of faithfulness brings honor and glory to God. Sing Love the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). Lyrics are in the back of this book. Track 16 Session 11 KidsOwn Worship 141

7 Pray Dear God, thank you for your faithfulness to us. We ask you to help us be faithful, especially when we don t feel like it. Help us to love and encourage one another. Help us to honor you by being faithful. In Jesus name, amen. Let s Learn the Point! Preschool Activities, pages At this time, have the preschool leader invite the preschoolers to go to their own room for this section of activities. Tear out the Preschool Activities page, and give it to the preschool leader. Have the preschool leader bring the preschoolers back to participate in Let s Pray! with the older children. If you prefer to keep all the children together, do the starred (*) activities. They will work well with both elementary and preschool children. Elementary Activities * Human Tic-Tac-Toe Divide the group into two teams, and have each team sit on the floor near one of the masking tape grids. God is always faithful to us. That means we can trust him because he never changes his love toward us. God wants us to be faithful, too. What does it mean for us to be faithful? (To do what we re supposed to do; to follow God, even when it s hard.) Being faithful means that we can be trusted to do what we re supposed to do, even if no one else sees, and even if we don t feel like it. What are some ways you can be faithful? (By coming to church; by obeying God; by serving God and others.) Coming to church every week shows faithfulness to God. Things like sticking by friends when everyone else seems to be against them and keeping your promises show faithfulness. Our faithfulness honors God. Let s play a game of Human Tic-Tac-Toe and see how faithful we are! Explain that the first column in each grid is for home situations, the middle is for school, and the third is for church. Have teams take turns sending someone to draw a home, school, or church paper from the hat and read it aloud. Describe an action for that category (examples are listed on the next page), and have the child put the slip of paper back in the hat. Teammates should then discuss whether anyone on the team has done that action in the past week. If someone has, he or she has to prove it by describing the action briefly. 142 KidsOwn Worship Fall Quarter

8 If you believe the child s story, have that child stand in any empty block in the appropriate column on the grid. For example, if the child did a church action, he or she should stand in any blank spot in the third column. Have the teams take turns drawing cards from the hat. When one team gets three in a row in any direction, they shout out together, Our faithfulness honors God! Allow the other team to finish the same way. Remind kids to be honest. If there s time, play another round or play until the entire grid is filled. Actions for the home category might include, You made your bed without being told, You read your Bible, You fed the pets without being told, You brushed your teeth every day. Actions for the school category might include, You did your homework whenever you had it this week (everyone on the team must say yes to qualify), You were kind to someone you don t like very much (don t name names), You helped someone who was having trouble with an assignment, You complimented your teacher, You told a classmate about Jesus. Actions for the church category might include, You came to church the last four weeks in a row, You gave your teacher a hug when you came in today, You didn t fight with a family member on the way to church, You brought your Bible today, You complimented someone in church today, You brought an offering today, You told a friend about Jesus. Good job, everyone! Maybe you didn t know it, but you are faithful in many ways. You might not think some of these things are important, but listen to what Jesus will say to those who are faithful in little things. He ll say, Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. If God can trust us with little things, he ll trust us with big things later. Let s look for ways to show faithfulness this week. Our faithfulness honors God. * Lasting Faithfulness Being faithful means that you stay loyal to someone or something. It means that you stick by that person or thing, no matter what. Jesus is always faithful to us. Have the children pass around the card you created earlier and examine it while you continue. God loves us perfectly. He doesn t love you for two days or two months and then turn his attention on someone else. Sometimes we do that to each other, but God is never that way. He is always faithful. Have kids pass the card back to you. God s love and faithfulness never disappear. Session 11 KidsOwn Worship 143

9 How do you feel when someone isn t faithful to you? (Hurt; sad; like they don t care about me.) What are some ways we might act unfaithful to God? (Not following his commands; not loving others the way he wants us to.) Hold the open card up while you say the following. Lots of times when we don t feel like it, we don t do the things we know are right. Or, if life gets tough, we close our hearts and our faithfulness in the little things disappears. Close the card. God wants us to learn to be faithful. Our faithfulness honors God. Take a moment right now, and tell God silently that you want to be faithful to him. Pause while the kids pray. Now let s all put a thumbprint in the heart as a way to show God that we want to be faithful and to bring him honor. Gather kids around the card and have them use the Ink Pad to put their thumbprints in the heart. Have hand wipes available for kids to clean their thumbs. for a volunteer to pray and ask God for help with being faithful. Our Wall in the Hall of Faith We ve been talking about what it means to be faithful. Tell me how these people showed faithfulness to God: Noah (pause for answers), Abraham (pause), Moses (pause). I want to tell you of another person who was faithful to God. One time Joshua sent spies to check out the land of Jericho. When they got there, the spies met a woman named Rahab. Rahab knew about them. She had heard people talking about the God of the Israelites and believed in him. So she hid the Israelite spies and saved their lives. In return, the spies promised to spare Rahab and her family when they came to fight against Jericho. From the story I ve told you, who demonstrated faithfulness? (The spies promised to save Rahab; Rahab helped the spies; Joshua was following God s commands; God sent Rahab to help the spies.) Listen to what Rahab said to the spies in Joshua 2:9-12. I know that the Lord has given this land to you for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below Swear to me by the Lord your God that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. What does this tell us about how Rahab feels about God? (She s faithful to God; she knew that God was the one true God.) What was her motive for helping the spies? (To save her life; to be on God s side; to serve God.) 144 KidsOwn Worship Fall Quarter (continued on page 147)

10 Preschool Activities Worship Theme: Joshua Sends Spies to Jericho Our faithfulness honors God. Easy Prep for Leaders Faithful Actions Set up two or three stations for practicing household chores: Vacuuming Set out a handheld vacuum cleaner or a broom and dustpan. Sprinkle something coarse, such as oatmeal or rice, on the floor for children to clean up. Dishwashing Set out tubs of warm, soapy water and clear rinse water; a variety of plastic containers to wash and dry; and a towel. Dusting Provide small cloths to use as dust cloths. Joshua 2:1-24 Chair cleaning Put water in spray bottles and provide paper towels so children can spray chairs or tables and wipe them off. Snack preparation Set out supplies for a simple snack, such as cream cheese on crackers or frosting on vanilla wafers, that the children can assemble. Faithful Rahab Use a knife to cut a small slit, the width of a craft stick, in the bottom of a foam cup for each child. Cut red yarn into 6-inch lengths, one for each child. Set out the craft sticks, cut cups, and yarn. I Spy Faithfulness Make a spy s magnifying glass by cutting out the center of a sturdy paper plate and taping a craft stick or paint stirrer to the side of it for a handle. Using Theo Consider using Theophilus the FaithRetriever puppet today in these ways: Have Theo lead the preschoolers from the main worship area to the preschool room. Have Theo help children with the cleaning chores in the Faithful Actions activity. See the KidsOwn Worship Kit for a puppet skit written for today s worship session. Sesson 11 * Faithful Actions Gather the children around you. Being faithful means doing the right things at the right times. What are your jobs at home? church? preschool? When you obey your mom or dad, even when they re not looking, you re being faithful. When you love and help others, you re being faithful, too. Our faithfulness honors God. Let s practice some ways to be faithful. Briefly discuss each of the stations. Help children form small groups and rotate through the stations. Make sure each child tries every activity. (If children make snacks, have them wipe their hands first.) Preschool Leader Tip Have an adult or teen helper assist at each station. If you don t have helpers, talk to the worship leader before children s church, and arrange for a few older volunteers from the group to help you with this activity. After the children have rotated through the stations, gather them together. What are some things you practiced doing? How do these things honor God? You were such good helpers today! You can be good helpers at home, too. When you help others, you re being faithful. Our faithfulness honors God. If children made a snack at one of the stations, have them serve it to one another now. Praise children for being faithful in helping each other. ALLERGY ALERT Be aware that some children have food allergies that can be dangerous. Know your children, and consult with parents about allergies their children may have. Also be sure to read food labels carefully as hidden ingredients can cause allergy-related problems. Session 11 KidsOwn Worship 145

11 Preschool Activities Faithful Rahab Let s make puppets to help us tell our Bible story. Our story is exciting it has spies and a brave woman named Rahab in it! Help children draw smiley faces at each end of a craft stick, one for Rahab and one for a spy. Show them how to slide the stick through the slit in a cup so that the spy face is inside the cup. When everyone has made a puppet, gather the children in the story area. Open your Bible to Joshua 2:1-24. When Joshua became the leader of Israel, he sent two spies to a place called Jericho. What is a spy? Spies don t want anyone to see them. Joshua s spies sneaked into Jericho to see how strong the enemies were. Here s my spy. Push the spy end of your stick up so it looks over the cup, make the spy look around, and then pull it back into the cup. Make your spy peek out now; then hide him again. Don t let the enemy see him! (Pause.) Good job, everybody. Joshua s spies went I Spy Faithfulness Hold up the paper plate magnifying glass, and look from child to child. In our Bible story today, Joshua sent spies into Jericho to see what the land was like. Rahab saved their lives by hiding them from their enemies. Spies learn to see things other people don t see. I have my spy glass here. I m spying, looking for some faithful people like Rahab. Stop turning the spy glass, and look at one child. something like, I spy someone quickly into Jericho. They went to the house of a lady named Rahab. Turn your cup puppet over, and move Rahab around in a happy way. Show me your Rahab. (Pause.) Rahab knew that God was a friend of the spies. She knew that God was more powerful than anyone. So when enemy soldiers came to her house to kill the spies, Rahab acted quickly. She hid the spies on the roof of her house. Hide your spy now. Turn the cup over, and cover it with your hand to hide the spy. The soldiers couldn t find the spies! Finally they went away. Rahab said to the spies, When you come back to this city, remember to protect me and my family the way I protected you. They agreed to protect Rahab. Drape the piece of red yarn around Rahab. The spies gave Rahab a red cord. They told her to hang it out her window so they would know which was Rahab s house. They said they would protect her house. Give everyone a piece of red yarn to put on their puppets. What did Rahab do that was good? Rahab believed in and trusted God. Rahab was willing to help others. Rahab was faithful. God wants us to be faithful, too. Our faithfulness honors God. who loves God with all [his or her] heart. [Name of child] is faithful to God. Continue to look for faithful children, find each child in the group, and give each child an affirmation. Affirmations might include I spy someone who tries hard to obey [his or her] mom or dad, or I spy someone who comes to church every week. Make sure each child is affirmed. When you are faithful in little things, you make God happy. Let s remember to be like Rahab. Our faithfulness honors God. 146 KidsOwn Worship Fall Quarter

12 (continued from page 144) Rahab believed in God just from hearing others talk about him. She wanted to save her life, but, more than that, she knew that God always wins and that it was pointless to fight against him. Let s find out what God thought of Rahab. Open your Bible to Hebrews 11, and show it to the kids. Sometimes people refer to this chapter as the Hall of Faith. It mentions the people we talked about earlier, as well as others. Each mention begins with By faith. It says By faith Noah and then tells what Noah did. It continues with By faith Abraham, By faith Isaac, and many others. Then verse 31 says, By faith Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient. Wow! Rahab wasn t even one of the children of Israel! Yet God chose to include her in the list of people who walked by faith! How does God feel about Rahab? (God knows that she s faithful; God loves Rahab.) What does this tell us about how God feels about faithfulness? (It s important to him; he honors those who are faithful to him.) Rahab s faithfulness honored God, as did that of all the others mentioned in Hebrews 11. I don t know about you, but if my name were in that chapter, I d think it was a big deal! The writer of Hebrews said he didn t have time to tell of all the people who walked by faith. That can include us! Let s make a Wall of Faith to tell God we want to honor him with our faithfulness, too. As you work, I ll play the song Faith. Let s honor God by choosing to be faithful. Play Faith (Hebrews 11:1). Track 1 Have kids use the markers to draw pictures of themselves and sign their names. Or have them trace their handprint and sign it. Repeat the song until kids are finished. Leave the poster in the room to remind kids that their faithfulness honors God. Let s Pray! The Offering Another way we show faithfulness to God is by bringing offerings. Our offerings help do God s work. That work includes sending missionaries to other countries, paying for this building so we can worship, and helping people that need money and food. When we give God some of our money, we re giving him something that s important to us. That honors God. As you bring your offering today, tell him you re glad to honor him. Take the offering. Session 11 KidsOwn Worship 147

13 Pantomime Praise When actors act out a scene silently, it s called a pantomime. We re going to praise God without singing it ll be a pantomime song. Instead of singing, we ll act it out. Play Trust and Obey (or another song of your choice) one time, and have children brainstorm among themselves about simple ways to use their bodies to praise God as the song says. Track 8 When the song is over, have children scatter around the room and find a spot of their own. They can sit, stand, or kneel, but they shouldn t move from their space during their pantomime. Remind children not to think about others but to concentrate on worshipping God. When I play the song again, stay in your own space and worship God with your actions. We won t be watching each other, so just concentrate on praising God. Play the song again, and have everyone pantomime praise to God. Object Prayers Set out everyday objects on a table, and gather the children around it. Have each child in turn pick up an item and use it to complete the prayer, Lord, help me be faithful in [doing an action]. For example, if a child picks up a book, he or she might pray, Lord, help me be faithful in doing my homework, or Lord, help me be faithful in reading to my little brother. Pray Continue until everyone has had a chance to pray. Lord Jesus, thank you for helping us be faithful. Help us make right choices every day to bring you honor. Help us be faithful in little things, so that we can be faithful in the big ones later on. We love you, Lord. In Jesus name, amen. 148 KidsOwn Worship Fall Quarter

14 Encouragement for Leaders For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). God s Word is powerful. Even when you feel like you re struggling as a teacher, God s Word is powerfully impacting the lives of the children in your class. From Heartfelt Thanks for Sunday School Teachers. Copyright 2003 Group Publishing, Inc., Loveland, CO.